


anybody else wanna touch my lover?

by bothsexuals



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2020-06-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:47:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24808756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bothsexuals/pseuds/bothsexuals
Summary: Three times Troy is jealous of Abed.
Relationships: Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 26
Kudos: 292





	anybody else wanna touch my lover?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello. I wrote this yesterday, and I re-read it now. I am tipsy right now, so if there's any fuck-ups, there's your reason. Thanks to Charles for giving me this charlenge. Love you, king. That's all. Enjoy. 
> 
> Title is from Amy Shark's "Adore" and oh god I keep making typos thanks alcohol!

Troy knows this is his fault. He’s the one who asked Abed to keep their relationship a secret- something Abed very gracefully agreed to, happy to go at the pace Troy needed and excited to try the secret relationship trope- so he really is in no position to complain. The thing is that when he asked that, he hadn’t thought about the fact that every so often Abed would meet some person he would have an overwhelming amount of chemistry with, and Troy would be pretty much powerless to do anything about it. 

It’s his fault, of course, and it’s pretty pointless to feel this jealous over someone else flirting with Abed when he knows he’s the one who will go home with him, hold him close in their pillow fort, kiss him until he loses his breath. Still, he can’t shake the uneasiness that takes over him as someone laughs a little too loud at Abed’s jokes, or touches his arm in a flirty way that Troy knows will actually make him uncomfortable. 

He wants to walk over there, wants to sit down next to Abed at the cafeteria table and put his arm around him; he wants to pull him close and kiss him and let everyone know he’s with him and only him. 

He lets his eyes drift away from Abed, and to where the others are sitting at the same table, curiously staring at the girl flirting with Abed. His gaze lingers on Shirley and Pierce, and he remembers that as much as he wants to do all that, he just can’t. 

When the girl walks away, with one last touch to Abed’s arm that makes Troy’s blood boil, he makes his way to the table and sits down next to Abed. 

“What did I miss?” he asks, not really wanting to know. 

“Just another girl flirting with Abed,” Jeff replies, then looking at Abed adds, “seriously, how do you do it?” 

“I don’t do anything,” Abed says, “I told you, I’m pretty adorable.” 

_Hell yeah, you are_ , Troy wants to say, but he can’t, so he simply nods. 

“Are you gonna call her?” Britta asks, and Troy notices the piece of paper Abed is holding in one hand, a phone number scrawled on it- and there’s that feeling again. 

“No,” Abed simply shrugs, and crumples up the paper to set it down on his tray, clearly meaning to throw it away. Troy feels a little better. 

“Why?” Jeff asks with wide eyes, “Did you not see her?”

Abed shrugs again. “Not my type,” he says, with a subtle glance at Troy. 

Troy notices, of course, and really wishes that was enough to make that ugly feeling go away. 

  


***

  


It happens again a few days later, because of course it does. Apparently Abed is just too irresistible- which, okay, if anyone gets that it’s Troy, but god, take a damn break. 

The group is out for dinner at a pretty elegant restaurant, at least for their standards. They don’t usually do this, but it’s Annie’s birthday, and Pierce had offered to pay for it on account of her being his favorite. It’s pretty awesome: there’s wine (or as Troy likes to call it, no-no juice), food he’s never eaten before, and that soft, classy music they play in fancy restaurant scenes in movies. There is just one problem, and it’s the reason why Troy can’t enjoy this damn evening no matter how hard he tries to. 

The waiter keeps flirting with Abed. 

It’s really annoying, and totally unprofessional, and it’s all Jeff can talk about, because apparently his envy for other people being flirted with isn’t limited at girls. What makes it even worse are Shirley and Pierce’s judgemental looks and quips everytime Abed gets flirted with by a _man_ , but Troy is trying really hard to ignore those. 

Abed turns to him as the waiter leaves their table after flirting with him for what feels like the thousandth time that evening, and a frown forms on his face. 

“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice low and full of concern. 

“Mhm, I’m alright,” Troy answers. It comes out strained and not at all believable, but he’s grateful when his boyfriend simply gives him another look and lets it go with a small nod. 

Abed turns back towards Annie, and furtively places his hand on Troy’s knee beneath the table, hidden away from the others’ eyes. Troy inches his hand closer to Abed’s and takes it, and really wishes it felt like enough. 

  


***

  


It happens a third time in the same week, and that’s when Troy can’t take it anymore. 

They’re at a bar -thankfully not the same one they went to on his birthday, a calmer one, without anyone’s secret, shameful pictures- and Abed is at the counter, getting everyone except Annie and himself another drink. That’s when someone walks up to him and starts a conversation.

Troy can’t make them out very well in the bar’s dim lighting, but he can clearly see the way they’re leaning against the counter in a cool, Jeff-like manner, the way they’re tucking their hair back with a flirty smile, the way their hand keeps coming up to Abed’s arm. It drives him mad, the way this person just touches Abed like it’s nothing, like it’s a game, when it’s actually the most amazing thing Troy has ever been allowed to do. 

He only realises he’s stood up when Annie confusedly asks him what’s going on, and he gives her a flimsy excuse about having forgotten to tell Abed something, then makes his way to the counter, where that person is _still_ leaning way too close to his boyfriend.

“Abed,” he calls, and he immediately turns to Troy with a small smile, “I gotta talk to you.”

“Oh,” the person gasps, “I’m sorry, I hadn’t-” they gesture vaguely between the two of them “-I hadn’t realised. I’ll go.” 

They leave, and Troy is a little confused by their reaction, but he doesn’t really care. 

“What’s up?” Abed easily asks. 

“I can’t do this anymore,” Troy groans. Abed’s eyes widen in fear, and he looks like he might be about to start making that panicked sound of his, so Troy quickly corrects himself, “I don’t mean _that_ , I mean I’m tired of seeing other people flirting with you. I know it’s an ugly feeling and I wish I didn’t feel it because I trust you but I’m _jealous_. Like, really jealous.” 

“Oh,” Abed sighs, clearly relieved. “You know it means nothing to me,” he says, “it’s just not as easy to blow people off without seeming mean when I can’t just say I have a boyfriend.”

Troy’s gaze drops to his feet. Of course, that’s what _he_ had wanted, isn’t it? He asked Abed to keep them a secret, and now he’s complaining about the obvious consequences of that. Kind of a dick move on his part. 

“Troy,” Abed says, placing an arm on his shoulder to make him look up, “it’s okay. I told you we can wait as long as you need.” 

“No, I know,” Troy says, “I just think-” 

He pauses. He has to be sure if he’s going to say this. He looks at Abed, whose eyes are still on him, careful and attentive beneath slightly furrowed brows as he patiently waits for him to find the words he wants to say and- god, Troy loves him so much. He looks past him and at Annie, who’s trying to understand something Britta is explaining- probably some weird conspiracy theory or a documentary she didn’t actually understand- and at Jeff, who’s rolling his eyes at them. He looks at Shirley and Pierce, and wishes he didn’t have to risk their friendship- especially Shirley’s, because losing her would be like losing a mother for the second time. 

Nevertheless, it’s worth it. He could lose everything, but have Abed, and he would be happy. Maybe he should be concerned about such a thought, about the fact that his happiness is so inextricably tied to Abed, but it only makes sense when Abed is the first person to have seen the real him and truly, unconditionally love him. Without Abed, he wouldn’t know himself the way he does now, or even if he did, he’d have no one to tell him that that person was good, that Troy shouldn’t hide him away, but embrace him and _be_ him, no matter what everyone else may think.

Being with Abed means being himself, and if being himself means risking some things, well, Troy just has to toughen up and do it. 

“I think,” he finally says, “that I’m done waiting.” 

Abed’s eyes widen again, but this time he looks hopeful. 

“Do you mean that?” he asks. 

Troy nods. “I do,” he answers, “I’m tired of being scared, Abed, I want everyone to know that _I’m_ the one who gets to love you-” he grabs Abed’s hand and steps closer, way too close for a kiss not to follow- “and I’m so damn lucky.”

“You want everyone to know I’m yours,” Abed mumbles, and Troy stares at his lips, because they’re really close, and really distracting, “jealous boyfriend trope.” 

Troy hums, “I want everyone to know I’m yours, too-” he leans closer, until his lips are millimeters away from Abed’s “-what trope is that?” 

“Dunno,” Abed says, and Troy knows that’s not true, because Abed knows every single trope, but apparently he cares about kissing Troy more than he cares about that- and god, that’s enough to drive Troy a little crazy as their lips touch for the first time in front of other people, in front of all their friends. 

He rests his forehead against Abed’s for a moment when they pull apart, and breathes in slowly as his eyes flutter open. 

“You can do this,” Abed whispers, and squeezes Troy’s hand, “ _we_ can do this.” 

Troy nods and looks at the counter, where everyone’s drinks are waiting to be taken to their rightful owners. Abed grabs the small tray they’re on with one hand- right, Troy almost forgot about how freakishly strong and athletic he is- while the other continues to hold tightly onto Troy’s. 

“Let’s do this,” Troy breathes. 

This could go either way, he thinks as they walk back to their friends, hand-in-hand. It could go surprisingly well, or it could ruin their night and even some friendships. But no matter how it goes, Troy is ready, because Abed’s hand is in his, and nothing’s ever felt as right as this does.

**Author's Note:**

> Et voilà! Here you go. If you liked it, please give me kudos and comments because my soul feeds on those. Thanks so much!


End file.
